Gaza borders with Egypt under control: Hamas

Palestinians wait to fill petrol in containers at a petrol station in Gaza on Jan. 29, 2011. Gaza Strip residents flocked to petrol stations on Saturday after clashes in neighbouring Egypt hampered smugglers ferrying fuel supplies through tunnels that run under the border into the enclave, witnesses said. (Xinhua/Wissam Nassar)

GAZA, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- The interior ministry in the deposed government of Hamas, which rules the Gaza Strip, said on Saturday that the borders between the enclave and Egypt "are fully under control."

The interior ministry of Hamas said in a press statement emailed to reporters that its security forces in Gaza are preventing any Palestinian individual from approaching the fence of the borders with Egypt.

"The security forces are controlling the borderline between the Gaza Strip and Egypt," said the statement, which denied earlier reports saying that some Gazans infiltrated from Gaza into the Egyptian territories.

Meanwhile, witnesses in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, near the borders with Egypt said they heard sounds of explosions and gunfire at the Egyptian side of the borders.

Egypt was witnessing a wave of unrest on Friday and Saturday when hundreds of thousands took to the streets and demonstrated against the Egyptian government and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

The Hamas ministry said that it has no information if Rafah crossing point will be opened on Sunday, adding that usually Friday and Saturday are two days off at the crossing.